Page 106 of Between Desire and Denial

He had no shame as he stuck a finger in the waist of my yoga pants and yanked me close to him. Then he dragged that finger up my stomach as I sucked in a breath. “I could say the same about you. How long did Jameson sit on his porch watching?”

“Dimitri, that’s not the point—”

“It is. I’ll make sure Melly gets the same amount of time because I like that look of jealousy on your face.” One of his dimples showed as he shot me a lopsided smile.

I was about to tell him he was a dick and drag him in by his damn ear, but Lucille called to us, “Yoo-hoo, Dimitri, seems you weren’t at work too long today.” She glanced up meaningfully at our house and winked at him. “What made you come back so soon?”

I looked over and frowned. There, by the corner of our garage—and quite frankly on every corner of the house—I now saw small black security cameras.

“What the hell are those?” I pointed to them and the smile that spread across his face held not one ounce of remorse.

“Cameras. For security, of course.”

“That’s such a good idea,” Melly said in her bubbly fake tone as she bounced over. She would have said anything Dimitri did was a good idea. “I especially like the idea of you adding these on street corners too. It really would add such a feeling of safety for me.”

“You’re talking about installing them throughout the neighborhood?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Yes, Honeybee. Just testing them for now.”

That’s when Jameson decided to add from his porch. “Seems to be something you need approval for.”

“Interesting,” Lucille said softly.

“Awesome. That the only reason you want them on the street corners and around our home?” I lifted a brow and then scowled at him.

He rubbed a hand over his five-o’clock shadow before he responded. “Oh, around our house? Those are to make sure I know what my future wife is doing all the time, Olive. I like watching you. You know this.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

DIMITRI

“Stop with the future wife!”She slammed the door of the house after I’d followed her inside.

“Never gonna happen. Until we’re married. Then, it’ll just be wife,” I said as I laid my shirt on the chair and smiled over at her. Steam was practically coming out of her ears as her eyes widened at my nonchalance of the term.

“You make all this sound so normal! And I know it’s not, Dimitri. Like you’ve considered marrying all the women you’ve ever been in a relationship with?” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Absolutely. Because theonlyserious relationship I’ve ever had is with you.”

“Well, I’m not happy with our serious relationship right now because you’re being a misogynistic asshole who won’t let his girlfriend mow a damn lawn. No one would ever want that.”

“So, you’re saying it’s serious?” I stepped closer to her. “Melly seemed quite happy about it, and—”

“Don’t you dare talk to me about that little—” She poked me in the chest and then stopped when I grabbed her wrist and held her hand there.

“Go on. I’d love to hear what you think of her.” I wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her closer.

“No. I don’t even care about her. I’m freaking mad at you, Dimitri.” She tried to cover up her jealousy, but I wanted it. I wanted to see it. I wanted her as unhinged as I was. If I was going to lose my mind, she was going down the path of insanity with me. When I saw her smiling at Jameson before she mowed our damn lawn, I’d practically ran out of the coffeehouse. The cameras I’d set up alerted me to motion outside, and now I was inclined to look all the damn time when it came to her.

“Because I wouldn’t let you mow the lawn?”

“Let’s not gloss over the fact you’re watching me on those cameraswithout my knowledge.”

“I’ll be installing them throughout the house too.” I crossed my arms, not willing to bend there. “I’m admitting it now. So that way, when I watch you in the shower, you’re completely aware.”

“Stop it.” She bit her lip and blushed. But then she poked me again. “You can’t be all manly and not let me do things I want to do. That’s absurd. I can take care of myself.” She sighed. “And I enjoy doing it. I don’t like hiring every last person to come in and do every single thing for us. If we have everyone do everything for us, how is it our own anymore, you know? And I feel like I want to know all these things—”

“Because you’re curious about everything?” I finished for her.